I proposed to keep the pH below 8.0, mostly for safety reasons (Ammonia spikes etc)There was general agreement that lowering the hardness was not an expensive procedure. (Rain, RO water)Freshy came up with a solar still solution. I had a design for that, but lost it.I'll make a sketch.

Much to be said I believe for the mineral content or total disovled solids associated with hard alkaline water and the effects on softwater species over the long haul as already mentioned .Is always easier I believe, and cheaper, to keep fishes that enjoy the water most easily re-produced (ie) Tapwater, or well water that one may have available. If one has hard alkaline water from the tap, then keeping fishes that thrive in this water is of a decided benefit to the fish. Same applies for those who have softer, more acidic water most readily available. Try and select fishes that will thrive in these condition's.Those who keep fish otherwise in my view, have perhaps a lack of understanding which expierienced hobbyist's should attempt to help them with or,, they are of a mind that fishes should adapt to their view's as opposed to what nature and evoultion may or may not allow.With expierience one can adjust water to suit the fish, but for the majority,,it is much easier on the hobbyist and the fish, to simply keep fishes that thrive in the source water you have.Just mt two cent's.

For the most part, this is what I would, and I have a few years of fishkeeping under my belt. The final tank Erin and I are setting up is an African Cichlid Tank. Here in Saskatoon, the water is virtually liquid rock, so African Cichlids will benefit from this without us having to monkey with the water.

But if one wishes to pursue lower pH fish, then some altering on their part is in order. Its all based on how much work you want to put into the setup and what fish you want to keep.

OK,I made a sketch from what I remember,but unfortunately my host site is down. So I'll upload the sketch directly from my PC.[align=center][/align]It's a wooden box, about 3x3 ft, with a metal sheet inside which rests on a rockwool layer of insulation. the edges of the metal sheet are turned up to prevent spillage. The box has a glass cover and the whole structure is hermetically sealed with silicon sealer.The box must face the sun and should be tilted to the correct angle.There is a plastic pipe with tiny holes (pin pricks) which is connected to the tap. Water supply should be restricted to allow water to drip on the hot metal sheet, but the water must all vapourise before it hits the bottom of the box, so the faucet is tightly squeezed

Water vapour escapes out via a 1,5" clear PVC pipe acting as a condensor.

I wanted to use this instead of an RO unit, but never got around to make it.

It's a bit of a digression. It resulted from the problem of hard water from the tap, which usually goes with a high pH and how to soften it. The suggestions were: RO water, rain and Freshy suggested a solar still, to which I replied that I had a design for that.

There's also the problem of using chemicals to lower the pH, which lots of people are trying to avoid, so dilutions with soft water are favoured.

There are other designs for a solar still, just google it. Some have the water condensing inside the box, and guided by a small lip to the collection bucket. In this design you keep more water in the box. The box does not have to be metal, it can be any water proof and aquarium safe material, but is painted (aquarium safe paint) black so the water will heat up the best.